House OKs $606B defense budget

The House approved a nearly $606 billion Pentagon budget bill Thursday evening after agreeing to cap core defense appropriations at 2012 levels — $1.1 billion below what was recommended by the Republican leadership.

The freeze marks a modest but still important turning point in the budget wars with 89 Republicans joining 158 Democrats on the key 247-167 vote.

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“If we cannot do this simplest of tasks, do we really think we have an honest chance to solve our debt and deficit problems?” Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.) asked his colleagues. And in a politically symbolic North-meets-South pairing, the young conservative freshman offered the amendment together with retiring Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.).

“This has now become a zero-sum game,” Frank warned the House. “Unless you are prepared to ignore the deficit problem, every dollar you put into the Pentagon over and above … is coming from somewhere.”

Indeed, the final bill — approved 326-90 — remains more than $6 billion over the stricter defense caps set in the Budget Control Act for the Pentagon. But the GOP support garnered by Mulvaney on his amendment and earlier votes on Pakistan and Afghanistan funding reflected a greater willingness by Republicans to cut from security appropriations.

The freeze amendment brings the core Pentagon appropriations back to about $518.1 billion, $1.1 billion below what was recommended by the leadership. At the same time, a second pot of $88.2 billion in emergency war-related funds was cut by about $825 million in the course of the two-day floor debate.

Coalition support funds paid to Pakistan for costs related to U.S. operations would be reduced from $1.3 billion to $650 million. And $175 million was taken from infrastructure assistance requested for Afghanistan.

The depth of the Pakistan cut could be a setback for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s efforts to rebuild relations with Islamabad. But Rep. Norm Dicks of Washington, the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, was unrepentant.

“It was time to send them another message,” Dicks told POLITICO of Pakistan. “I think it was time to send the Afghans a message, too, on the infrastructure. People are very frustrated with both of these partners.”

Syria and a Russian arms export giant came in for some messaging, too.

On a lopsided 407-5 vote, the House approved language sought by Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) that would bar future U.S. defense transactions with the Russian entity, Rosoboronexport, which serves as a government intermediary for Moscow in the arms trade. As such, Rosoboronexport has been very much involved in providing arms for Syria’s government, but it also has been a source for Mi-17 helicopters that the U.S. wants for its Afghan allies.

“It is beyond unacceptable for the United States government to work with a firm that is arming the oppressive Syrian regime,” Moran said. “The United States does not condone the massacre of innocent men, women and children. Furthering contracts with Rosoboronexport contradicts our nation’s commitment to the principles of freedom and democracy.”

Much as it resisted the Mulvaney-Frank freeze, that loss for the Appropriations Committee leadership was more the exception — not the rule.

Deeper cuts proposed by liberal Democrats were easily defeated in most cases, and the underlying funding for military operations was never in any serious jeopardy.

For example, the House voted 243-171 against rolling back Pentagon spending to conform fully to last summer’s debt accord — the position taken by the Democratic Senate. And a later bipartisan amendment to trim $12.7 billion from the war funding was defeated 278-137 — an almost 2-1 margin.

Reps. John Garamendi (D-Calif.) and Walter Jones (R-N.C.), the two co-sponsors, said they were doing nothing more than holding President Barack Obama to his word: that there will be a steady withdrawal of about 28,000 troops over the course of fiscal 2013. Garamendi said the bill failed to make any adjustment for this reduction and instead budgeted the full sum to keep the force level at 68,000 — the anticipated target for early this fall.

“What are we doing here? Do we care about the deficit or not?” Garamendi asked the House, but he lost 50 of his fellow Democrats and Jones was only able to bring 7 Republicans with him.